China attempts to 'recruit spies using LinkedIn'

The BfV claims Chinese agents are using fake LinkedIn profiles to try and recruit German officials.

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Germany has accused China of engaging in cyber-espionage, namely trying to recruit high ranking German politicians as informants through fake LinkedIn profiles.

According to the BBC, at least 10,000 Germans have been targeted by a number of fake profiles, some of which are Allen Liu, alleged human resources manager at an economic consultancy, and Lily Wu, who should be working at a think tank in eastern China.

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV, says both accounts are fake, the people don't exist, and that it contacted those who it thinks were targets.

BfV head Hans-Georg Maassen says this goes to show just how active China is in its attempt to subvert top-level German politics. "This is a broad-based attempt to infiltrate in particular parliaments, ministries and government agencies," he said.